
COMMUTER RAIL IN DENVER Railroads of Colorado

Recent business travel took me to Denver. I hadn't been there since 1964 and WOW it's a very different and more complex city. I understand that in 1929 there were only two paved streets in the town. There are a lot of attractions in the city and nearby area.

There is a really great 5.3 mile modern light rail transit system that runs both north and south of the downtown. All 15 stations are for both north-bound and south-bound trains except in downtown where they are on parallel streets. Fares are low: $0.75 off-peak and $1.25 peak. The trains are wheel chair accessible and can carry several bikes. Being two hours off my usual time zone, I had a cheap morning ride each day I was in Denver. Tickets are purchased from ticket vending machines at the stations (or passes purchased by mail) and Light Rail uses roving fare inspectors. Bus transfers are free.

I visited the Forney Transportation Museum located just west of downtown right off Interstate 25. The buildings were built in 1901 for the Denver Tramway Power Company. It originally housed steam engine powered generators for Denver's 156-mile trolley system. Forney was a manufacturer of welding equipment and left money for the museum. Highlight of the museum is a "Big Boy" steam locomotive. Union Pacific 4005 was built by the American Locomotive Company in 1941 and was donated in 1962. It is impressive with over 130 feet in length and a loaded weight of over a million pounds. Fuel (56,000 pounds of coal) and water (24,000 gallons) are impressive too. They also have a rotary snow plow, a "big hook" and some smaller items. A lot of the museum is automotive. It is located at the 1876 birthplace of Denver which is the convergence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek.

Nearby is the Platte Valley Trolley which features an ex-Connecticut Company open trolley (the kind made famous for carrying huge crowds to Yale football games). It is numbered 1977 but I don't think that was the original number. I didn't think there were any open cars in that series of numbers. For instance, Connecticut Electric Railway has 840 and Branford has 1414 and 1425. I wasn't able to get any idea of its history from any of the staff and haven't had a chance to consult any of my roster information. It operates south from the Forney Museum to Decatur Street along the west bank of the river. It has stops at Mile High Stadium, McNichols Arena and the Children's Museum. An extended trip runs on a portion of the interurban line that ran to Golden until 1950. In total, it is a couple of miles long.

The Coors brewery in nearby Golden is interesting because they are such a large rail shipper (both inbound and outbound). Their six red switchers are constantly busy building trains in several small yards and spotting cars near the numerous buildings.

On the road to Golden is the Colorado Railroad Museum. It has lots of narrow gauge stuff and a huge HO model railroad exhibit. Even many of the standard gauge railroads in the area began as narrow gauge.

Some of the attractions I missed were:

· The Pikes Peak Cog Railway (however I did ride it in 1964 before they had the modern Swiss-made cars).

· Royal Gorge has a Frontier Town and Railway.

· Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

· The Durango & Silverton Narrow Railroad. Home of a coal-fired steam operated narrow gauge train.

· Leadville, Colorado & Southern RR. Shows the splendor of Colorado's high country.

· Georgetown Loop Railroad. Also features tour of Lebanon Silver Mine. Has restored steam locomotives.

The Global Highway:
Interchange to Everywhere
A portal to the World. The Global Highway leads everywhere! Follow it to wherever you might want to go. We have something for everyone!

Denver Area Businesses and Organizations

Denver Area Businesses and Organizations
<< Prev \| Ring Hub \| Join \| Rate\| Next >>

Greenland's ice caps are melting! Find out more about Global Warming at our Ominous Ecology WebSite.

Traveling in Europe?
You will probably need to make a FERRY RESERVATION.
Stop by and see our Reservations Center.

Train Station in Denver, Colorado: North Building

Train Station in Denver, Colorado: Front

Train Station WebRing	by k_kinlock
<< Prev \| Ring Hub \| Join \| Rate\| Next >>

Not only can you search hotels by city, but you can search by your favorite chain of hotels.

We can find all the best hotels at the best rates in Nice, Cannes, or Monaco,.

JWH Rapid Response Temporary Housing
Our containers will make a great summer camping.

We can make your summer camp a great looking building. All the comforts of home at a much less cost.

Railroads On The Rebound

Over the last 50+ years, railroads have changed a lot. Now they are about to change again.

It is all about a combination of economic factors and climate factors.

Since 1950 , railroads have consolidated. Freight moved from a "box car mentality" to a "unit train,mentality". Passenger went from a robust business to a "caretaker" arrangement called AMTRAK. This happened as everybody could drive for free on the Interstate Highway System or fly on an airline system where the government subsidized both airlines and airports. In the meantime, railroad express and railroad post offices went "down the tubes". The old Post Office Department and the Railway Express Agency could not adjust to the new way. UPS and Fex Ex could.

Carbon Calculator
What's the most environmentally-friendly way to transport goods? The answer is freight rail. The EPA estimates that every ton-mile of freight that moves by rail instead of by highway reduces greenhouse emissions by two-thirds. But what does that really mean? Our easy-to-use carbon calculator will estimate the amount of carbon dioxide that can be prevented from entering our environment just by using freight rail instead of trucks. We'll even tell you how many seedlings you'd need to plant to have the same effect.

Railways	by king5021
<< Prev \| Ring Hub \| Join \| Rate\| Next >>

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) operates frequent express bus service, called "SkyRide", between DIA and various locations throughout the Denver-Aurora and Boulder metropolitan areas. By 2015, RTD plans to build a commuter rail line from downtown Denver's Union Station through Aurora to DIA, as part of the FasTracks expansion program. Scheduled bus service is also available to points such as Fort Collins, Colorado and van services stretch into Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado summer and ski resort areas. Amtrak offers a Fly-Rail plan for ticketing with United Airlines for trips into scenic areas in the Western U.S. via a Denver stopover.


Railroads and Snow See some historic photographs of the railroads in snow. Rotary plows in snow! Great stories of railroad action in Winter!

Denver Union Station

RailwayStation.com has provided a 1942 Quiz Book on Railroads and Railroading.
Here's some interesting questions and answers:

What is the highest altitude reached by a standard steam railroad in the United States?

The highest point reached by a standard steam railroad in this country is at Ibex, Colorado, on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, where the elevation is 11,522 feet above sea level.

What other high altitudes are reached by railway lines in the United States?

The Colorado & Southern Railway (a part of the Burlington System) reaches an altitude of 11,319 feet at Climax, Colorado, and 10,207 feet at Leadville, Colorado. Both points are on narrow-gauge lines. The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad reaches altitudes of 10,856 feet at Marshall Pass, Colorado, (narrow gauge); 10,239 feet at Tennessee Pass, Colorado, (standard gauge); 10,200 feet at Leadville, Colorado, (standard gauge); 10,028 feet at Monarch, Colorado, (narrow gauge); and 10,015 feet at Cumbres Pass, Colorado, (narrow gauge).

Ride The
Historic Rails
Through the
Royal Gorge

This article appeared in the May 1999 BRIDGE LINE BULLETIN of the Bridge Line Historical Society

Nice, France Weather	Mexico City Weather	Philadelphia Weather	Saint Tropez Weather	Montreal Weather
Find out more about vacations in Nice, France	Find out more about vacations in Mexico City	Find out more about vacations in Philadelphia	Find out more about vacations in Saint-Tropez	Find out more about vacations in Montreal and the Laurentian Mountains


Find weather around the World . Temperature and forecasts for hundreds of cities. See adverse weather conditions. Upcoming storms, snow, tornados, hurricanes. Check out our special weather forecasts for the French Riviera!!! Visit our Travel Reservations and Information Center and see our CRUISE section. Make Hotel Reservations as well as rental cars. Book a ferry from Nice to Corsica. Rent Vacation Homes.